Biblical Studies/
Old Testament

Matthew Henry comments, “Those who aim at a great name commonly come off with a bad name.” In our sin, all of us want to promote our fame at the expense of humble service to the Lord. How do you ...Read More

Even though God’s blessing rests upon Shem’s line, the separation of humanity into different peoples and cultures as judgment for sin (Gen. 11:1–9) serves His purposes. The Lord is the One who allows any society to ...Read More

God knows our actions in advance from all eternity as part of His hidden will (Deut. 29:29), and He brings His secret will to pass by first announcing an intention and then moving us to respond. But we are ...Read More

If the Lord could not be sorrowful or angry at our sin or joyful at our obedience, we could not believe He is unchangeably holy, righteous, and good. Though our character may change, our Father’s does not, and therefore ...Read More

Matthew Henry comments on this passage that “if the Spirit is resisted, quenched, and striven against, though he may strive long, he will not strive always.” The Lord will not allow sin to reign without consequence. Those with true faith ...Read More

We cannot assume all of the Sethites who intermarried had true faith, but if they did, the disastrous results of their marriage to unbelievers confirm the stories and commands that warn us against this elsewhere in Scripture (for example, 1 ...Read More

Today’s passage illustrates the principle that “whenever a good man dies, God takes him, takes him from here, and receives him to himself” (Matthew Henry). Even though most of the Lord’s people will have to experience physical death ...Read More

Righteous parents do not always raise righteous children. However, those who do raise their sons and daughters in the fear and admonition of the Lord will often see them follow Christ throughout their lives. As a parent, do you take ...Read More

Modern man falsely assumes the Lord will never repay him for his wickedness. Instead of repenting of their sin, the impious, as John Calvin writes, “rage against those chastisements of God, which ought at least to render them gentle.” Yet ...Read More

John Calvin comments on today’s passage, saying that in Cain’s line “we see, at the present time, that the excellent gifts of the Spirit are diffused through the whole human race.” Although we must be ever aware of ...Read More

Do you believe that you are self-sufficient? Do you really think that you can live without God and the assistance He provides through His people? Though we try to be strong and handle everything ourselves, attempts at complete self-sufficiency are ...Read More

Psalm 90:8 is a powerful reminder of our Lord’s all-seeing gaze. Though we might think we can sin in secret, God knows every evil deed we commit, even if no one else on the planet finds out. How ...Read More

How do you read the warnings of sacred Scripture? Do you take them seriously or do you assume that you are incapable of the sins of someone like David or Peter? What about public worship? Do you continue hating your ...Read More

David’s wicked affair with Bathsheba and involvement in the death of Uriah (2 Sam. 11) began with an “innocent” glance at the woman’s beauty (v. 2). If we are not careful with what we look at, listen to ...Read More

John Calvin comments on today’s verses, writing that when God sees false worship, “combined with gross and manifest mockery of himself, it is not surprising that he hates it and is unable to bear it.” If we do not ...Read More